


Just Friends

by EldritchSandwich



Category: Original Work
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drunken Confessions, F/F, First Kiss, Fluffy Sandwich, Friends to Lovers, Friendzone, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 03:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14416770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EldritchSandwich/pseuds/EldritchSandwich
Summary: Meg has a lot to deal with since breaking up with her boyfriend, but her friend Rita's been helping her. Maybe a little more than she was expecting...





	Just Friends

“Honestly, I think he’s doing it on purpose. He never used to even use Instagram, and now he’s posting all these pictures with every random ho he hooks up with? It’s like he’s trying to rub my nose in it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Then why are you checking his feed? You’ve blocked him everywhere else.”

Meg tossed her plastic fork into her salad with a sigh. “I don’t know, I guess because I like torturing myself?”

Sarah’s eyes softened. “Okay but how are you doing? Really? I know this has been hard on you...”

Meg shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s been...getting better, I guess? It’s still weird sleeping alone, but you guys have really been helping me get over all the bullshit he fed me. Especially you and Rita.”

And just like that, Sarah’s expression darkened again. “Yeah, actually, that was something I wanted to talk to you about.” Meg blinked in confusion, and Sarah took a deep breath. “Look...we all know the friend zone’s bullshit, I’m not trying to say anything like that, especially after how Scott fucked with your head, but...” Sarah bit her lip. “Don’t you think it’s kind of...uncool to use Rita as a way to bitch about your ex-boyfriend, I mean...considering?”

Meg blinked uneasily. “Uh...considering what?”

Sarah sighed in disappointment. “Come on, Meg, that’s not okay. You know she’s crazy about you.”

Meg’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”

“And I know you’re just trying to treat her like a normal friend or whatever, it just...it doesn’t seem cool that you’re using her specifically to complain about your problems with Mr. Friend Zone when—“

“Sarah shut the fuck up!” Sarah’s mouth popped shut as she looked up to find Meg wide-eyed and shaking. “What...what the fuck are you talking about?”

Sarah gave Meg a disbelieving glance. “The Christmas party? Last year? When Rita got drunk and blurted out that she was in love with you? I mean Jesus, she tried to fucking kiss you!” As Sarah took in Meg’s wide eyes, hers went wide too. “Oh fuck. Oh my god you really don’t remember, do you?”

“No I don’t fucking remember that!” Meg ran a hand through her curls. “Why didn’t anyone fucking say anything?”

Sarah winced. “I mean...she tried to kiss you and you threw up on her, it seemed like a pretty solid rejection. She just seemed to want to pretend it never happened, and it seemed like you were doing the same thing, so we all just...went along with it.”

“Oh Jesus...”

“Hey, sweetie, calm down, it’s not a big deal...”

“Not a big...fuck!” Meg raked both hands back through her hair. “Shit, I...I gotta go. I have to...I have to talk to her.”

Sarah frowned. “Um, sweetie, maybe that’s not the best idea right now...you seem kind of—“

Meg stood up from the table, not even seeming to listen. “I gotta go. Sorry, I’ll see you...yeah.”

As Meg headed for the door and out into the parking lot, Sarah turned back to her chicken nuggets with a bemused smile.

Well, shit. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

“So...they were like what, best friends?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Rita said as she handed her brother the beer in her left hand. When Tom took it but just kept looking at her for more, she dropped to the couch with a sigh. “Okay, so they were friends since, like...middle school. You know, forever, basically. Then a couple years ago he tells her that he’s had feelings for her the whole time, and she agrees to go out with him more or less because he’s guilt-tripping her about how long they’ve known each other and how loyal he’s been and blah blah blah. And they stay together for two fucking years, and she’s never been into him even a little but they stay together because he’s beating her over the head with all this friend zone bullshit, and the whole time she’s fucking miserable.”

“So wait, she’s just like...staying with him out of guilt that whole time? Jesus.”

Rita flinched and took a sip of her beer. “So anyway, a couple months ago, he proposes. And that’s just the line. She just can’t take it anymore, and she just has a total breakdown, and when she makes it out the other side she breaks up with him and he instantly turns into a nasty psycho misogynist stalker, just harassing her and trashing her on social media, the whole thing’s just turned into a fucking nightmare.”

“Jesus.” Tom took another drink. “And she just...dumps all this on you? That’s gotta be hard.”

Rita shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m just...being a friend.”

Tom frowned. “Yeah, I guess. It just seems kind of ironic, I mean...you’d think since she knows you’re into her, she’d feel weird about it.”

Rita scowled. Before she could answer there was a knock at the door, and Rita pushed up off the couch. “That’s probably her. Listen, if things get like...weepy or whatever, you okay clearing out?”

“Yeah, sure, I can go over to Diego’s or something.”

“Thanks.” Rita squared her shoulders, then opened the front door. “Hey, Meg, come on...Jesus Christ, are you okay?”

Meg winced. She wasn’t able to keep the tearful, somewhat manic look out of her eyes, arms hugging her chest. “Rita. Can...can we talk about something?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course, come in.”

“Hi, Meg,” Tom said as he slid past them, grabbing his windbreaker from the peg by the door.

“Hi, Tom.”

“Bye, Meg.”

“Bye, Tom.”

As the door closed behind him Rita guided Meg to the couch, scooping up Tom’s half-empty beer bottle and bringing Meg a fresh one. Meg didn’t drink as Rita sat down, just picked nervously at the label.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Meg licked her lips. “I, uh...I had lunch with Sarah E today, and... she told me something that...I guess she thought I knew, and apparently you and everybody thought I knew, which is that you...you’re, or you know you _were_ , sort of...” Meg sighed. “In love with me.”

Rita blinked as she tried to make sense of the broken sentence. When she did, her eyes went wide. “Wait. Oh my god, Meg, I—“

Meg burst into tears. “Oh my god, oh my god oh my god...”

Rita flinched, holding her hands out on instinct but then freezing, not sure whether hugging her would make it better or worse. Before she could make up her mind, Meg dove into her chest. Rita held her gently as she sobbed, then scrunched her eyebrows when Meg mumbled something into her shirt.

“What?”

“I’m so sorry!” Meg wailed, and Rita’s eyes went wide. “I’m such a...I’m such a fucking hypocrite, I’m a shitty friend and I’m sorry I’m so fucking stupid...”

Rita winced. “Hey, no no, shh, it’s okay...”

“I’ve been...I’ve been complaining to you all this time about Scott saying I was stringing him along and using him but I was doing the exact same thing to you! I’m such a fucking hypocrite!”

Rita bristled. “No! No no no, fuck that! Look at me!” Meg pulled back to find Rita practically shaking with anger. “You do not get to do that! I am nothing like that manipulative, abusive little piece of shit! Is that really what you think?”

Meg winced. “But...he was right. I thought it was bullshit, but if I’m doing the same thing to you I did to him then—“

“Look at me!” Meg stopped babbling as Rita grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her in. When she realized how it looked, she dropped her hands and looked down. “Meg, the...the way I feel...it’s proof that he’s full of shit! Don’t you get that?” She glanced up to find Meg studying her curiously, and sighed. “The fact that I lo...like you doesn’t matter. It doesn’t...it doesn’t mean you owe me anything. I’m still your friend because I want to be, because I do care about you. If Scott can’t do the same thing, if he says you have to choose between fucking him or never seeing him again, then that’s his problem. Right? You don’t see me saying shit like that. Right?”

Meg nodded. When Rita’s grip loosened, Meg whimpered. “I...I swear I didn’t know.” She looked down at her beer. “Sarah said...that it was last year at Michael’s Christmas party, that you told me and...you tried to kiss me and...I’m sorry, I must have been so drunk that I didn’t remember and you thought I—“

“Hey hey, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Rita stroked Meg’s back as her breathing gradually slowed. Eventually, Meg looked up at her from under heavy lashes. “Did I really...you know...throw up on you?”

Rita groaned. “Um...yeah. On my shirt, mostly, but also kind of...on my face.”

Meg squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh my god...”

“And a tiny little bit got in my mouth...”

“Oh my god!” Meg looked up to find Rita laughing, and couldn’t help but smile. “I’m so sorry.”

“I survived.” Her laughter ebbed. “Besides, I kind of deserved it. I saw that you were miserable with Scott, and I tried to swoop in, but I was being just as gross and selfish as him, and—“

Meg silenced her by reaching out and cupping Rita’s hands in her own. “No, that’s not...look, I just...I need you to know that...it was just because I was so drunk. It wasn’t the thought of...of kissing you.”

Rita winced. “Well, that’s really sweet of you to try to protect my ego like that, but unfortunately since you were blackout drunk you don’t really know that for sure, do you?”

“Yes, I do.” Rita looked up to find Meg with her lips pursed and a fierce yet frail look in her eyes. “Because if...if you had tried to kiss me back then...I would have let you.”

Rita’s eyes went wide. “What? You...you mean, because things were so bad with Scott, and you...wanted someone to show you they cared about you?”

“Yeah, that,” Meg said with her eyes on their clasped hands . “And also because...” She glanced up to meet Rita’s eyes. “Because I’ve thought about kissing you.”

Rita’s cheeks caught fire. “Wait, I...you...”

“When we first met, I...I felt this really weird, really strong pull to you. I think it’s why we became friends so fast, you know? I didn’t realize that it was because I had a...a crush on you until a lot later. By the time I did things with Scott were getting really bad and I just...I just couldn’t think about anything else, and...”

“Oh,” Rita said weakly. Her hand felt uncomfortably hot between Meg’s. She licked her lips. “Do you...still like me like that?”

Meg looked up at her, eyes shining. “Do you?”

Neither one of them could tell who leaned in, only that the space between them melted away and suddenly their lips were touching. Meg sucked in a breath as a tiny electric spark passed between them, something so sudden and strange it urged her to press forward. When she did, however, Rita’s hands on her arms held her back.

“Wait. Stop, we...we can’t do this.”

Meg blinked. She was so emotionally raw from the last few minutes that Rita’s rejection almost had her bursting into tears. “What? But—“

“You’re still...you’re still dealing with Scott and all his shit, and...maybe right now isn’t the best time to jump into things with another friend who wants to be more.” Meg frowned, and Rita swallowed. “Look, I...I’m not going to change my mind. About...how I feel. If you get to the point where you’re ready to date again, and you still feel like...” Rita smiled gingerly and stroked Meg’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Meg pursed her lips, then nodded. “Okay.”

Rita let out a sigh. “Okay.”

Meg leaned in, letting her forehead rest against Rita’s. “I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Rita smiled. “I’m glad you’re my friend too.”

Meg turned into her side and nestled her head against Rita’s chest, and Rita reached up to stroke her hair. Meg closed her eyes with a sigh. “Rita?”

“Mm?”

“I’m not going to change my mind either.”

Rita smiled. “Good.”

Meg let herself relax into Rita’s warm body. They were still friends; it was more than she was expecting when she started this conversation, and it was more than enough.

At least...for now.


End file.
